66

have a well-balanced and powerful squad, which will be tough for any team. The Big
Six Conference moet will be held.on Moy 19th at Nebraska, as usual. The men are
pointing for a much botter showing than they made in the indoor meet.

Fritz Knorr, the basketball coach at Kansas State, is inaugurating spring
basketball practice for his Wildcats. During the war we have foregone the idea of
having spring basketball practice because the boys are tied up with so many details
that we feel no extra emphasis should be placed on basketball. We are carrying on
until this fuss is over, and then we will hit them with a powerful aggregation.

The nucleus of our 1942 ever-victorious team, if and when the boys return from the
service, will be a real threat to any cf the teams in this sector, - we hope.

We get many queries as to when Dean Nesmith will be back. I om reprinting
some ef Dean's remarks regarding his qgtay in Italy. He may be addressed in care of
the Special Service Section, APO 512, New York. Dean ssys: "The other day: I had
dinner with Chas. Black and then we went to a hospital to see Bruce Voran. We —
really had a Jayhawker gab-fest. Buce had a scrap with ao jeep and was bruised a bit,
but ho is getting along fine. Then I had dinner with Dr. H. Penfield (Penny) Jones.
He was very snxious to hear of Lawrence, Kansas. He is as pink-cheeked as ever.

I have been cver most of occupied Italy and have visited many hospitals and have
seen things that pictures nor words could ever deseribe. My regards to Mrs. Hudteen
and the Bangs How about the Rebounds? As ever, Dean.’

v

You bet, Dean, immediately upen receipt of your inquiry for the Rebounds
we fired one to you. and I want you to know that Dr. "Denny" Jones gets our Re-
bounds regularly, or as regularly as we write them.

.¢

“Bruce 'Voran, we are tickled to ‘death that the jeep didn't gyp you ony
worse. I shi remember, brother, when Mr. Horacek of Kansas State, fouled you
while you were in the act ef sheoting in d Kansus - Kansas Aggie game here in
Lawrence, just five seconds before the final gun, with the score ticd. It was the
usual nerve-racker between the Kansas State boys that annually happened here in
Lewrence... You missed the first one, but sunk the last ene, and Kansas won another
hectic battle. And the jinx still holds, Bruce, - ‘they haven't won a game since,
or even before that shot. Good luck, Major Voran. I commission you a major for
winning that ball game. :

Now, back to Dean Nesmith. Here is some additional information that was
printed in the University Daily Kansan on April 10: "Fifty American soldiers and
efficers recently inaugurated classes of the Mediterranean Theater's central sports
school in Rome. The school provides refresher courses in athletics to army person-
nel who will serve as instructors and ceaches in a post-war sports program for
soldiers. Classes ure held in the gymnasium and athletic grounds cnce used by
Mussolini to train Fascist troops. .. . » Eight civilian athletic consultants,
each an expert in his field, have been assigned by the War Department to administer
the couching program. The classes will be given over a pericd of three’ months with
a new cycle of students every 12 days. At the end of each cycle the soldier-stud-
ents will return to duty with their outfits to begin an expansion of the unit's
athletic prggrame + «ce

' Dean's original homecoming date was in April, but we learn now it will be.
later. We called Doan's wifo to confirm a rumor that he would be home June 1, and ~
she has no idea.when he will be home. He is listed on the faculty of the Kansas’
State High Schooi Coaching School, which school will have Henry Iba as basketball’
soach, but the football coach will not be. announced, Dean will handle treatment
of athletic injurios, aoverding to an annemncenent by ‘Bion! Thomas.'” So “he should -
be homa.by August, if he is to appear on Mr: Thomas®s august school.